Europe

World News

Ukraine's President Appeals For U.N. Help To Maintain Truce

1:35pm February 19, 2015

The president urges the U.N. to deploy peacekeepers to the eastern part of his country to help bolster the cease-fire. Renee Montagne talks to reporter Alec Luhn in eastern Ukraine about the truce.

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Greece's hopes for reaching a new compromise with Eurozone members on the terms of its loans are seen as hinging on promises to reform its economy — and submit to outside inspections.

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Greece Seeks To Extend Eurozone Loans, As Deadline Looms

10:05am February 19, 2015

by Bill Chappell

With the bailout package that has kept Greece's economy afloat set to expire in just over a week, the country has formally asked Eurozone members for a six-month extension.

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Italian Island Bears The Brunt Of Migrant Surge From Libya

7:56am February 19, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

Italy has recently rescued more than 2,000 migrants off Libya's coast. The holding center on Lampedusa can't handle the surge. Authorities worry Islamist militants might arrive amid the migrants.

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (fourth from the left) leads the first cabinet meeting of his government Jan. 28 in Athens. He's been criticized for selecting no women for senior positions.

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Even As Progressives Take Lead In Greece, Women Remain Out Of Power

3:40am February 19, 2015

by Joanna Kakissis

The new leftist Greek government says it wants to revolutionize a country that long has resisted change. So far, that hasn't included finally placing women at the highest levels of government.

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Geneva Attorney General Olivier Jornot, center, leaves HSBC offices during a search of the private bank Wednesday. Swiss prosecutors have started searching offices of the Geneva subsidiary of HSBC bank in an inquiry relating to alleged money-laundering.

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Prosecutors Raid HSBC's Geneva Office Over Suspected Money Laundering

3:17am February 19, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The raid comes a week after leaked HSBC documents showed that the bank's Swiss unit had helped its international clients launder profits and shelter their holdings from their home countries.

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Ukrainian Soldiers Retreat After Eastern Town Falls

9:21pm February 18, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

The forced withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine is a blow to the recent ceasefire agreement — and to President Petro Poroshenko.

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Artist, Believed Target Of Copenhagen Attack, Still In Hiding

6:59pm February 18, 2015

Audie Cornish talks to Lars Vilks, who was at a free speech forum that was attacked over the weekend. He is believed to have been a target for his controversial drawings of the prophet Mohammad.

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An armed motorcade belonging to members of Derna's Islamic Youth Council, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, drives along a road in Derna, eastern Libya, in October 2014.

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How ISIS Has Expanded Beyond Its Syrian Stronghold

5:51pm February 18, 2015

by Ari Shapiro, Leila Fadel and Philip Reeves

The self-proclaimed Islamic State appears to be expanding again, with a presence in North Africa and Afghanistan. Three NPR correspondents discuss the evolution of the group.

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Semlor served at FIKA in New York City. "The interest [in semlor] is huge," says Lena Khoury, the Swedish cafe chain's director of strategy and communications.

Fat Tuesday Nordic-Style Means Big, Sweet Buns

12:22pm February 18, 2015

by Anne Bramley

Few of the rollicking traditions of Catholic Mardi Gras remain in heavily Lutheran Scandinavia. But the Nordic countries and their culinary outposts in the U.S. still celebrate with the yeasty treats.

Ukrainian servicemen ride on a military vehicle as they leave the area of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine Wednesday. The troops, some in columns, some in cars, began leaving the besieged town today.

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Ukraine Withdraws Forces After Fight Over Strategic City

8:47am February 18, 2015

by Bill Chappell

"Some 80 percent of the units have already been pulled out" of Debaltseve, says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. He's seeking to punish Russia for the latest violence.